Finally got my Touch Pro

After weeks of searching, I finally got my hands on a North American version of the Touch Pro, also known as the HTC Fuze which is sold by AT&T. The search was extremely tough and after 3 failed attempts I finally have one in my hands. After much pursuit, I finally was able to swing a deal with mitsubishiman of Howard Forums. The deal itself was relatively straight forward and was completed in one night.

There’s actually much to write about the Touch Pro even though the device is very similiar to my Tytn II which I still really enjoy using. Because of that, I am going to split this blog entry into multiple posts as not to bore people to tears with the length of the post. Even with the same form factor, I am still adjusting to the Touch Pro and I’m not quite as proficient with it as I would like.

With every iteration of HTC devices, the product gets smaller and feels better built. It is definitely no where as heavy as the Tytn II. It is both thinner and narrower than the Tytn II although it is also slightly thinner. Because of that, the Touch Pro actually looks like a small brick. I don’t love the dimensions of it and personally as a whole, I think it looks very awkward. Since this is modeled after the Touch Diamond, it has the uneven cuts at the back. Personally, it does nothing for me but I’ve had at least one postive comment on that aspect. The casing is very shiny and plastic making it smudge frequently. I actually miss the rubberize feel of the Tytn II. That being said, it feels like a solidly built device.

The major reason for the upgrade to the Touch Pro is the screen from specification. The one thing that bothered me about the Tytn II was that it didn’t have the fully flush screen and that impeded my ability to use it as a one-handed device. Tapping at keys at the edge was very inprecise. The other thing that I looked forward to was to have a VGA screen on my mobile device again. I have to say that I was elated with the implementation of the screen. Not only is it completely flush and VGA, the display is crisp and clear. The only way to describe the screen is gorgeous.

One of the design decisions on the Touch series is to make the devices as touch friendly as possible. By doing so, they have also reduced the number of buttons on the device. In fact, there is only one programmable button. They have also removed the soft buttons as well. It takes a bit of getting used to and the flushed screen makes it easier for it to work. I have to admit that I do miss the soft buttons, the “ok” button and the jog wheel.

The layout is different and the keys are smaller. Fortunately, it is not so small that it is hard to type. But it is different enough that i still feel clumsy on it. For instance, I keep hitting the ok button on the lower left corner expecting the shift button. I don’t like the fact that the spacebar key is almost miniscule and that you can no longer hit the function key and spacebar combination to cycle through to get to the appropriate symbol. Instead, you press function and space and then select the appropriate symbol on the screen. That’s a bit awkward. Fortunately though, the majority of the symbols that are required for my daily use are available on the keyboard.

All in all, I love the physical aspects of the device. It is a beautiful phone to behold. Even with the pictures, it is hard to describe how beautiful the device is. More on the other aspects of the device in the next set of blogs.